It is well known: the Russian language is the keeper of the wisdom of our people. A old proverbs and sayings are his spiritual treasure, a real “golden fund”, since they briefly and aptly express the instructive experience of many generations. But here's the problem: in the conditions of the modern information war, this experience, expressed verbally, has undergone distortions under the influence of new trends of the times.
The meaning of many well-known proverbs was turned inside out and changed exactly the opposite. Someone really wanted to hide the truth from us, to break the people's primordial ideas about good and evil, bad and good. By using " explanatory dictionary living Great Russian language” V.I. Dahl (edition 1897) let's try to restore the forgotten truth...
IN A FAMILY NOT WITHOUT A BLESS Wanting to justify the appearance of an impious person in a large family, we habitually say: well, it happens - in a family there is a black sheep. Or we give a different shade: in any company there is sure to be one unlucky one. But our language says otherwise: “freak” means standing “at the clan”, located under its reliable protection and patronage. And that's why they used to call a "freak" not a sick disabled person, but the first child - the strongest, most beautiful, most intelligent, who took everything first and best from young parents. And the couple was called a family only after the birth of their first child. "Freak" is on some Slavic languages means "beauty". That is, initially the proverb was laid down very deep meaning: "without a child - this is not a family yet", "a family cannot be without a first child." Thus, the whole village, all relatives seemed to convince the young spouses to give birth to an heir as soon as possible in order to become a full-fledged family and increase the strength of their kind-tribe.
HORSES DIE FROM WORK How often idlers use this expression! They like it. Although full version saying goes like this: horses die from work, and people get stronger.
MY HUT WITH THE EDGE Misinterpretation: "Step back, get away from me, I don't know anything." This is what we say today, but earlier those people whose huts stood on the edge of the village had a special responsibility - they were the first to meet any danger, whether it was an attack by enemies, a forest fire, a spring flood of a river or a rapidly racing herd of horses. They were the ones who had to fight back. Therefore, "in the huts on the edge" lived the most daring and strong people. Choosing a place for a house on the edge of the village, its owner, as it were, said to his fellow villagers: "I will protect the peace of all." Readiness for self-sacrifice has always been characteristic of the Russian people, which is reflected in this proverb.
YOUR SHIRT IS CLOSER TO THE BODY Yes, unfortunately, many contemporaries today have gained a false belief that their own interest is the most precious thing, and nothing should harm personal gain. However, our ancestors uttered these words in a completely different environment. At the funeral of a warrior who fell with honor in battle, his brothers took off their linen or linen shirts and laid them in the grave - as close as possible to the body of the deceased relative. Thus, they showed how they loved him, how dear he was to them ...
WORK IS NOT A WOLF - WILL NOT RUNNING INTO THE FOREST “Do not rush, lie down, rest, work will wait” - this proverb is filled with such a meaning in modern Russian. However, its original meaning was not at all to indulge your laziness, postponing important matters for later. Everything was just the opposite! In the old days, when a wolf ran into a village, women with children immediately hid in their homes and waited for the beast to run away into the forest. And their work, abandoned for a while, will not run away, will not go anywhere. Therefore, what to expect? As soon as the danger has passed, you must immediately begin to work left in the garden, in the yard or around the house.
DO NOT OPEN YOUR MOUTH ON ANOTHER'S LOAD "Everyone loves to eat someone else's, gratuitous" - we filled this proverb with such a narrowly pernicious content today. But the story here is again just the opposite. There used to be a custom: before everyone sat down at the table, the owner went out of the hut outside and shouted loudly: “Is anyone hungry?” That is, the owner opened his mouth “wide open” and called all the hungry to his loaf: neighbors, relatives, beggars, random passers-by. It’s not good when everyone eats, but someone remains hungry.
DEBT IN PAYMENT IS RED Perhaps today this is one of the most frequently used proverbs: many lenders angrily demand that debtors return what they have taken, call them, harass them, threaten them. The trouble, and only ... In fact, this proverb teaches to forgive debts. Our wise ancestors acted like a Christian ingenuously: lending someone something, they never expected a return, moreover, they did not ask or demand it. They were sincerely happy to help everyone in need just like that, without any self-interest. When the debt was nevertheless returned, they blushed deeply: they were ashamed to accept it back. ...
Just think what we have lost! How high were the morals of our wise ancestors, and how small we were in comparison with them...
Here are some more examples of truncated proverbs.
A holy place is never empty.AND AN EMPTY PLACE IS NOT HOLY!
Hunger is not an aunt - PIE WILL NOT BRING.
For the beaten they give two unbeaten,YES IT DOESN'T HURT THEY TAKE IT.
A mosquito will not knock down a horse,UNTIL THE BEAR WILL HELP.
Whoever remembers the old - to that eye out, AND WHO FORGET - TO BOTH.
Not all cat Shrove Tuesday, WILL BE LAST.
The woodpecker does not grieve that he cannot sing: THE WHOLE FOREST HEARS HIM AND SO.
Alone in the field is not a warrior, but a TRAVELER.
Fear has big eyes, YES THEY SEE NOTHING.
Mind chamber, YES THE KEY IS LOST.
My tongue is my enemy;
More examples of the fact that you can’t throw words out of a song, otherwise the meaning becomes different.
At least half of the proverbs have changed their meaning with the loss of their ending.
* Grandmother wondered, said in two: either rain, or snow, or it will be, or not;
* Poverty is not a vice, but twice as bad;
* Lucky as a Saturday drowned man - you don’t need to heat the bath;
* A raven will not peck out a crow's eye, but it will peck out, but not pull it out;
* It was smooth on paper, but they forgot about the ravines, and walk along them;
* Goal like a falcon, but sharp like an ax;
* Hunger is not an aunt, but a dear mother;
* The lip is not a fool, the tongue is not a shovel;
* Two pair of boots, yes both left;
* Two pair of boots, yes both on one leg;
* Girlish shame - to the threshold: she crossed and forgot;
* The case of the master is afraid, and another master of the case;
* The road is a spoon for dinner, and there at least under the bench;
* A fool at least a stake - he puts his two;
* If you chase two hares, you won't catch a single boar;
* They carry the hare's legs, feed the wolf's teeth, protect the fox's tail;
* And business time, and fun hour;
* The hen pecks at the grain, and the whole yard is in the litter;
* Dashing trouble is the beginning, there is a hole, there will be a tear;
* Young people scold - amuse themselves, and old people scold - rage;
* Do not open your mouth at someone else's loaf, get up early and start your own;
* A new broom sweeps in a new way, but when it breaks, it lies under the bench;
* Horses die from work, and people get stronger;
* Stick - with two ends, hits back and forth;
* Repetition is the mother of learning, the consolation of fools;
* Repetition is the mother of learning, and a refuge for lazy people;
* The drunken sea is knee-deep, and the puddle is up to the ears;
* Dust is a pillar, smoke is a rocker, but the hut is not heated, not swept;
* Grow big, but don't be noodles, stretch a verst, but don't be simple;
* The fisherman sees the fisherman from afar, therefore he bypasses the side;
* You get along with a bee - you get a honey, you contact a beetle - you find yourself in manure;
* Seven troubles - one answer, the eighth trouble - nowhere at all;
* The dog lies in the hay, does not eat itself and does not give to the cattle;
* The old horse will not spoil the furrow, and it will not plow deeply;
* Bread on the table - and the table is a throne, but not a piece of bread - and the table is a board;
* Miracles in the sieve: there are many holes, but there is nowhere to jump out;
* It is sewn-covered, and the bundle is here;
* My tongue is my enemy, it speaks before the mind.
Many in everyday life use certain sayings, proverbs and other examples folk wisdom that has been created over the years, centuries and has developed into a whole layer of the culture of the Russian people. But not all sayings, due to the circumstances, we know completely. Some sayings and proverbs have survived to this day in a shortened version. The meaning is already clear to everyone, but the continuation, the ending of the saying is also interesting. It is never too late to learn and learn new things, as they say, so sayings in their full form should be read and remembered. Still, this is folk wisdom, after all. And the full options famous sayings quite interesting.
Full versions of proverbs
A raven will not peck out a crow's eye, but it will peck out, but not pull it out.
Dust is a column, smoke is a rocker, but the hut is not heated, not swept.
The old horse will not spoil the furrow, and it will not plow deeply.
Horses die from work, and people get stronger.
The hen pecks at the grain, and the whole yard is in litter.
Fear has big eyes, but they see nothing.
They ate the dog, choked on their tail.
Dashing trouble is the beginning - there is a hole, there will be a tear.
Mind chamber, but the key is lost.
My tongue - my enemy - before the mind prowls, looking for trouble.
Hunger is not an aunt - she will not bring a pie.
The fisherman sees the fisherman from afar, and therefore bypasses the side.
A fool at least a stake, he puts his two.
The young scold - amuse, and the old scold - rage.
No fish, no meat - no caftan, no cassock.
There are miracles in the sieve - there are many holes, but there is nowhere to jump out.
The lip is not a fool - the tongue is not a shovel.
Whoever remembers the old - that's out of the eye, and whoever forgets - both of them.
The hand washes the hand, but both are itching.
They give two unbeaten for a beaten one, but they don’t hurt, they take it.
Alone in the field is not a warrior, but a traveler.
A new broom sweeps in a new way, but when it breaks, it lies under the bench.
The drunken sea is knee-deep, and the puddle is up to the ears.
Goal like a falcon, but sharp like an axe.
It is as lucky as a Saturday drowned man - there is no need to heat the bathhouse.
Two pair of boots, both left.
If you chase two hares, you won't catch a single boar.
It is sewn-covered, and the knot is here.
Old age is not a joy and youth is disgusting.
We all know many proverbs, but often do not realize that they have a continuation. Sometimes it was lost in the mists of time, sometimes it was invented by some witty man for well famous proverb, but, one way or another, often it opens new meaning old truth. And sometimes this continuation exists in several versions that turn a well-known thought into a completely different side ... Here is what I have managed to find so far, although there are probably many more such examples.
Grandmother wondered, said in two: whether rain, or snow, whether it will be, or not.
Poverty is not a vice, much worse / twice as bad.
IN healthy body healthy mind - rare luck / rare occurrence / rarity.
Lucky, like a Saturday drowned man, - no need to heat the bath.
A raven will not peck out a crow's eye, and peck out, but not pull out.
It was smooth on paper, but they forgot about the ravines, and walk along them.
Goal like a falcon and sharp as an ax.
Hunger is not an aunt, but a dear mother.
Hunger is not an aunt - do not drive into the forest.
Hunger is not an aunt - pie will not slip / will not bring.
Lip no fool, tongue is not a shovel - knows where it's sweet.
Two of a Kind, yes both left / yes both on one leg.
Girlish shame - to the threshold, overstepped and forgot.
The work of the master is afraid, and another craftsman.
Road spoon to dinner and there at least under the bench.
Fool at least a stake, he puts his two.
Wait sense, put your teeth on the shelf!
For the beaten they give two unbeaten, Yes, it doesn't hurt, they take.
If you chase two hares, you won't catch a single boar.
They carry the hare's legs, feed the wolf's teeth, protect the fox's tail. (This is the full version of the well-known proverb “The legs feed the wolf.”)
And eat a fish and ride on a taratayka.
A mosquito will not knock down a horse, until the bear helps.
A penny ribbed seem like a ruble.
Whoever remembers the old is out of sight / out, and whoever forgets the old - both (out).
The hen pecks at the grain, and the whole yard is in the litter.
Down and Out trouble started, and the end is near.
Down and Out trouble started: there is a hole, there will be a hole.
Love is blind, and goats use it.
Young is green, it is ordered to take a walk.
The young scold - (only) amuse, and the old people scold - rage.
Do not open your mouth at someone else's loaf, get up early and start your own.
Our business is small / veal: ate - and in the back.
Every day is not Sunday, there will be a post / there will be a great post.
The woodpecker is not sad that he cannot sing, and so the whole forest hears it.
Teach your grandmother to suck eggs, eat smoked / baked shit. (I apologize, but you can’t throw away words from a proverb, like from a song.)
Neither fish nor fowl, neither caftan nor cassock.
A new broom sweeps in a new way, but when it breaks, it lies under the bench.
Alone in the field is not a warrior, but a traveler.
Horses die from work and people are getting stronger.
A double-edged sword, hitting back and forth.
The rooster also thought marry a cook, but got into the soup.
Repetition is the mother of learning consolation of fools / and refuge for lazy people.
Dust column, smoke rocker, but the hut is not heated, not swept.
Drunk - the sea knee-deep, and choke in a puddle.
Drunken sea knee-deep, a puddle up to the ears / up to the top.
Work is not a wolf, it will not run into the forest, because it, accursed, must be done.
Grow big, don't be a noodle stretch a mile, but don't be simple.
The hand washes the hand, the thief hides the thief.
The hand washes the hand, but both are itching.
Birds of a feather flock together, therefore bypasses.
Get along with the bee - get the honey, contact with a beetle - you will find yourself in manure.
Seven troubles - one answer, the eighth trouble - absolutely nowhere.
God help the brave and the devil shakes the drunk.
God owns the brave and the devil shakes drunk.
Dog in the manger lies, she does not eat and does not give cattle.
Ate the dog (yes only) choked on his tail.
Dog life: you need to lie, but there is nothing.
The old horse will not spoil the furrow, Yes, it plows shallowly / Yes, it doesn’t plow deeply / Yes, it plows shallowly.
Fear has big eyes, yes they don't see anything.
Mind chamber, but the key is lost.
Bread (-salt) on the table - and the table is the throne, but not a piece of bread - and the table is a board.
Trouble - mouth full and nothing to eat.
Miracles in a sieve - everything is in holes, but the water does not spill.
Miracles in a sieve - there are many holes, but there is nowhere to go out / and there is nowhere to jump out.
Sewn-covered, and the knot is here.
I am not me, and the horse is not mine, and I am not a cabman.
My tongue is my enemy: before the mind speaks.
My tongue is my enemy, before the mind prowls, looking for trouble.
(According to the Internet)
1. Appetite comes with eating, and greed is at the time of appetite.
2. Grandmother wondered, said in two whether rain, or snow, whether it will be, or not.
3. Poverty is not a vice, but misfortune.
4. A healthy mind in a healthy body - rare luck.
5. The family has its black sheep, and because of the freak, everything is not to please.
6. Lucky as sabbath drowned man - no need to heat the bath.
7. A raven will not peck out a crow's eye, and peck out, but not pull out.
8. Everyone seeks the truth, not everyone does it.
9. Where it is thin, it breaks there, where it is thick, there it is layered.
10. It was smooth on paper, Yes, they forgot about the ravines, and walk along them.
11. Goal like a falcon, and sharp as an ax.
12. Hunger is not an aunt, won't bring a pie.
13. Hunchbacked grave will fix, and the stubborn - a club.
14. The lip is not a fool, the tongue is not a shovel: know what is bitter, what is sweet.
15. Two pair of boots, yes both left.
16. Two thirds are waiting, and seven do not wait for one.
17. Girlish shame - to the threshold, overstepped and forgot.
18. The work of the master is afraid, and another craftsman.
19. Road spoon to dinner, and there at least under the bench.
20. The law is not written for fools, if written - then not read, if read - then not understood, if understood - then not so.
21. We live, we chew bread, and sometimes we add salt.
22. For a beaten man they give two unbeaten, Yes, it doesn't hurt, they take.
23. You chase two hares - not one wild boar you won't catch.
24. Overseas fun, but someone else's, and we have grief, but our own.
25. Hare legs are worn, the teeth feed the wolf, the tail protects the fox.
26. AND business time, And fun hour.
27. And the blind horse carries, if a sighted person sits on a cart.
28. A mosquito will not knock down a horse, until the bear helps.
29. Whoever remembers the old - that eye out, and whoever forgets - both.
30. The hen pecks grain by grain, and the whole yard is in the litter.
31. Dashing trouble is the beginning, and the end is near.
32. Dashing trouble initiative - there is a hole, there will be a hole.
33. Young people scold - amuse themselves, and the old people scold - rage.
34. They carry water on the (offended) angry, and the good ones themselves ride.
35. Do not open your mouth at someone else's loaf, get up early and start your own.
36. Not all cat carnival, there will be a post.
37. The woodpecker does not grieve that he cannot sing, and so the whole forest hears it.
38. Neither fish nor meat, neither caftan nor cassock.
39. A new broom sweeps in a new way, but when it breaks, it lies under the bench.
40. One in the field is not a warrior, and the traveler.
41. Horses die from work, and people are getting stronger.
42. Horses don't roar from oats but they do not look for good from good.
43. Stick, double-edged, hitting here and there.
44. Repetition is the mother of learning, consolation of fools.
45. Repetition is the mother of learning and a haven for the lazy.
46. Water does not flow under a lying stone, and under the rolling - does not have time.
47. The drunken sea is knee-deep, and the puddle is up to your ears.
48. Dust in a column, smoke in a yoke, but the hut is not heated, not swept.
49. Work is not a wolf, it will not run away into the forest, because it, accursed, must be done.
50. Grow big, but don't be a noodle, stretch a mile, but don't be simple.
51. The fisherman sees the fisherman from afar, therefore bypasses.
52. Hand washes hand, yes they both itch.
53. Get along with a bee - get a honey, contact with a beetle - you will find yourself in manure.
54. Your eye is a diamond, and the alien is glass.
55. Seven troubles - one answer, the eighth trouble - absolutely nowhere.
56. A bold bullet is afraid, and he will find a coward in the bushes.
57. Dog in the manger lies, she does not eat and does not give to cattle.
58. The dog was eaten, choked on their tail.
59. Old age is not joy, sit down - do not get up, run - do not stop.
60. The old horse will not spoil the furrow, and it won't plow deep.
62. Fear has large eyes, yes they don't see anything.
63. Hit on one cheek - turn the other, but don't let yourself get hit.
64. Mind chamber, yes the key is lost.
65. Bread on the table - and the table is the throne, but not a piece of bread - and the table is a board.
66. Trouble is full of mouth, and nothing to eat.
For many centuries, it has been passed down from generation to generation with the help of proverbs and sayings. And although today this part of Russian folklore has lost its former popularity, it has not been completely forgotten. It often happens that using any established expressions, we do not even suspect that they are proverbs. However, many proverbs and sayings have come down to us modified: some of them have lost their ending. Such a fate befell the continuation of the proverb Let's remember how it sounded in its original form, and also see if this fact influenced the meaning that was invested in the proverb by our ancestors.
Origin of the proverb
First of all, it should be noted that this proverb is not entirely Russian in origin. The word "pair" in it comes from the Latin par, meaning "equal". Knowing this fact, one can guess the meaning of the saying.
Linguists express two versions of the origin of phraseological units. According to the first version, this phrase appeared from professional activity shoemakers. Previously, shoes on both the right and left leg it was sewn exactly the same, without any differences (this is how felt boots are still sewn). This is where the expression "two boots of steam" came from.
According to another version, this phraseological unit owes its origin to the girls who prepared the dowry. Previously, the "property" of the bride must have been a pair of felt boots made by the girl herself. And since in Rus' felt boots were also considered boots (V.I. Dal defines felt boots as boots or shoes made of wool), this is where the second version of the origin of the saying “two pair of boots” follows.
How does the proverb end?
There are many versions. Some on the Web claim that there are several continuations of the proverb "two boots - a pair". The most common option is “both left”, as well as its modifications (“both are worn on the left leg”, etc.). More inquisitive users found a variant of the proverb in which the beginning was cut off: "A goose and a loon - two pair of boots" (there is a version of "a sandpiper and a loon"). There is even a version of "two boots - felt boots", but all this information is erroneous.
The true continuation of the proverb "two pair of boots"
The Internet as a source of information is a wonderful thing, although it has one significant drawback. Information that is posted on the World Wide Web is not always true. So it happened with the continuation of the proverb "two pair of boots."
If you turn to the most famous collector of Russian folklore - Vladimir Ivanovich Dal, out of interest to look into his book "Proverbs and sayings of the Russian people", then you can find a lot of interesting things. So, for example, the end of folk wisdom: "A hen pecks grain by grain", according to the widespread in Lately lists of "complete" sayings and proverbs are the words "yes the whole yard is in the litter." However, in the dictionary V.I. Dahl has a completely different ending. In fact, the full version of this folk aphorism sounds completely different: "A hen pecks grain by grain, but lives full."
And the phrase: "Whoever remembers the old, that's out of the eye", in contrast to modern lists, there is no continuation. This is the full version of the saying. True, there is also a version of the proverb, which sounds: "Whoever remembers the old, the devil will pull him to reprisal."
How does the proverb "two pair of boots" end? According to Dahl's collection of Russian folklore, this folk aphorism has no ending at all. But the proverb has a beginning lost in time: "Odd and odd is the same even. Two pair of boots."
The meaning of the proverb "two pair of boots"
About the meaning of this catchphrase you can guess if you know that in the old days boots were opposed to bast shoes. Boots used to be worn only wealthy people and dandies who wanted to be considered rich. Hence the ironic coloring of the word "boots" appeared. This is confirmed by such sayings as "boots with a creak, but porridge without butter", as well as "do not judge in bast shoes, boots in a sleigh" (says the one entering the hut).
The generally accepted meaning of the proverb is two pair of boots - "suitable for each other." Most often, this phraseological unit is used with irony, indicating the similarity of people in negative qualities. This meaning is especially clearly manifested in the modern full version of the proverb: "Two pair of boots, but both are left."
Similarly, with the beginning of the saying: "Odd with odd is the same even." V.I. Dahl explains the word "odd" as unpaired. And the word "even" (it's a couple) for the same Dahl is equivalent to the word "pair". That is, the phrase "odd with odd the same even" using more understandable words will sound - "unpaired with unpaired the same pair."
Proverbs and sayings similar in meaning
similar meaning with the proverb "two boots of steam" there is a huge variety of phraseological units:
- "One field of berries."
- "As if they were hewn out of one chopping block."
- "It's all on one block."
- "Both two, neither is good."
- "Smeared with one world."
- "Sewn with one bast."
- "Birds of the Same Flight".
- "As two drops of water".
- "One suit."
These are just some of them.
